February 21st, a Friday, I went out to Warm Mt. School to get Jeff and no one was there. I was irked because we needed to leave for the Bay Area late that afternoon. Went out again later and met them on the road on my way home for a 2nd time.
Clarke stayed with Linda Lindsey. The rest of us ate dinner in Redding and got to Palo Alto around 11 p.m. Saturday morning we spent at Stanford University. Went to the bookstore where Bob got some books he needed and I bought books which Rebecca and Jeffrey chose.
We then headed for San Francisco and stopped at the International Airport, parked the car and rode the elevators and escalators (including the elevator with windows) up to the observation floor. We watched several planes land and take off, baggage being unloaded on conveyor belts; passengers going through the tunnel-like affairs into the planes, etc. One conveyor belt we rode on (Rebecca called it a flat escalator) was like a moving sidewalk—passengers could ride on it or walk if they wanted to go faster. We got a motel in S.F. and ate a greasy lunch in a little place across from the motel. Then we went to the opera house.
Swan Lake was a very lovely ballet. The dancing was good, the costumes bright, the sets well done—we really enjoyed it. At intermissions I’d take the children out and walk them up and down—Rebecca wanted to be more independent so she’d go back to be with Bob. She was very restless through the whole thing but seemed to be having a good time. There were marvelous clouds of mist during the lake scenes.
Afterwards we went back to the motel—then walked up to the Hippoburger Restaurant for dinner. What a contrast to the grace and beauty of the ballet!
Got helium balloons and the children were delighted to walk back with them–Rebecca clutching hers closely for safe keeping, Jeffrey letting his fly high above and behind.
Sunday we drove to Fishermen’s Wharf, left the car and caught the cablecar up to Chinatown. Lots of Chinese people on the streets and we saw some of the Chinese New Year decorations. Went in a Chinese store and bought some lechee nuts and Chinese candy; went into a tourist trap-type store and got plastic chopsticks for Rebecca and a flute for Jeffrey; Also went to the cablecar barn; rode the cable car back to Fishermen’s Wharf and zipped through for a quick look at Cost Plus; ate lunch and then started back for Weaverville.
A few days later, when talking to my dad on the phone, he said that when he was living in San Jose as a child, he’d take an electric bus to the ferry, take the ferry to S.F. and a cable car to his school. If the ferry was late he and a friend would run and catch up with the cable car.
Some very depressing notes on my mother’s physical condition and father’s future in trying to care for her. Lots of physical pain for her (and I’m sure emotional) and lots of emotional pain for him. No way I could go up there with all my obligations at home unless maybe in the summer.
Bought tickets for the Irish Rover at the Gold Pan.
Apparently the piano we were using belonged to Kay Morris but she hadn’t needed it while we had it. We kept looking at pianos and finally purchased one from the Lawrence Jordans in Douglas City. They lived in a big, old two-story house, the bottom story of logs, across Brown’s Creek. It was reached by turning off the highway just north of the rest area. The old highway used to follow that road and had a bridge across the creek about ¼ mile from the turnoff. Mrs. Jordan had emphysema and was in pretty bad shape. He was 75 and she was 72. “Very nice people, lonesome, as are so many older people. “ She showed me the house and some pillows she was making from towels and dishcloths, really rather nice pillows but tedious work. It was an upright piano, dark finish, good tone quality. He really didn’t like to see it go. He liked to look at the family pictures on it and liked to hear people play it sometimes who came to visit. They wanted $175 for it.
When we went home we watched a program about Nixon’s visit to China.
Friday the high school called at quarter to 8 and wanted me to sub for Mrs. Bartleston who had to take her one-month old baby to the hospital because his hands were turning blue. I told them I couldn’t make it until 9. The day passed without much strain. Bob Turnbull covered for the German II class first period. Then I had English Lit., World Lit., German I, lunch and German I. She had films scheduled for the German classes. Had lunch at Varney’s and then there was a prep period later so I could leave. Went out to Warm Mt. School with Jeanne Meyer where transportation was discussed. Mary Figerton and the Van Duzens would handle the transportation (Douglas City area?). Jeannie would take everybody both ways on Tuesday and Thursday. I’d drive Monday and Friday afternoons and Wednesday mornings. The Coverts would drive Monday and Friday mornings and Wednesday afternoons.
It was snowing by the time I got back to town and picked up the children. Washed the breakfast dishes, got dinner started, read the paper quickly and had a glass of wine. Fixed a salad and spaghetti. Bob got home about quarter to seven while I was bathing Clarke. It was nearly 9 by the time Rebecca and Jeffrey got to bed. Jeff spelled out on the refrigerator “Tiggr is a cat.” And had “we don’t hav iny” but didn’t finish. He was really making a lot of progress.
Rebecca was delighted about the piano. Clarke was scooting around the kitchen that evening in his pajamas with Jeffrey’s grey hat pulled down over his eyes. “He really looked cute.” Bob washed the dishes that night. Watched part of Chronology (not sure what that was) about children injured in Viet Nam. “very, very tragic.”
On the weekend Bob and Dick (and Tom Miller, Scott and Bill Harger) moved the piano from Jordan’s to our house and the other piano to Dick and Kay’s new house.
We invited Aunt Nell to come for dinner. I made an up-side-down cake and baked a ham. She seemed to have a pretty good time. Bob picked her up around 5:30 and she wanted to go home a little before 9. Clarke was very sweet with her.
March 1st we woke up to a couple of inches of snow before it turned to rain. I drove the children out to Warm Mt. School. No snow there. While I was talking to Janet and Mike, Clarke wiggled out of his car-seat and was half way to the barn before I grabbed him.
Bob went to Garberville again for a few days. Rebecca chose to not go to ballet again. On Thursday morning I took the boys to Linda’s and went to visit the elementary school. I’d planned to visit Mrs. Miller’s class but accidentally went into Ruth Brandes’ instead. It was a very interesting experience. She tolerated a much higher level of noise than I would have expected.
At music class I practiced reading music and then played by ear. Two women came in who wanted to listen. Then Jim Grigsby came in and we played a few tunes together. Then I went to the recorder class. We ended up laughing a lot, which made it kind of hard to blow. Friday night Bob and I went to a movie called Friends. It was excellent—beautiful photography and “a rather tender and amusing, story”. Bev and Larry Forero came in during the intermission. We left when the next show started and I suggested to Bob that we have some brew at the Brewery. We met Jim Fields in there and he introduced us to Tom Farmer, with whom he was having a discussion. Well, after a while Candy came in with Carin and we visited for a while, munching peanuts and drinking beer. Candy said that Jim had taught Carin the alphabet. The Fields left and we continued to talk until Darlene and Tom Farmer suggested everyone go to their place for tacos. I shook my head “no” and found Bob nodding and saying “o.k.” It was 11:30. So we went. We didn’t get home until 1:00. Christi was babysitting so he had to take her home.
The next day Bob and I dropped the children off at Linda’s and went out to the ranch. We ate a quick lunch at the gate where we found two pickups parked, one belonging to Dick Hamilton. The road was in pretty good shape. We were so relieved to find the bridge still there. We met Mary and Dick Hamilton near the bridge. They’d gone in to look at a logging machine—an old one on a flat above the creek. Dick wanted it. The water was very high—all white. We walked on up to the house and stayed there a while. I found frog eggs in the pond. A pretty day—buttercups in bloom, milkmaids, and gooseberries. Currents were about to bloom. The other pickup belonged to some men who worked for a logging company and they were going up to look at the Humboldt Fir property. We got home around 5:30.
Fed the children, then went to the Rotary Ladies’ Night dinner. Sat near Van Duyns, Senta Moore, the Bishops, etc. Had a pretty good time until the last half hour when the M.C. got raunchy. Sunday Bob put up the drapes in our bedroom and the living room.
I got a letter from the Ranger Rick staff wanting me to rewrite my article but definitely interested.
We filled in for each other on transportation to Warm Mt. School when there were sick kids. One day I took, in addition to my usual, Lauri Figeton to Steel Bridge Road and one Van Duzen child to their place.
Linda Lindsey and I were going to hike out to the ranch but I had to cancel because Clarke was sick and there was no one to leave him with.
Went to Redding with Ruth Bartz to hear the Irish Rovers. She offered to drive, which was a good thing because the clutch chain broke on the VW that day. It was such a treat to hear and see a group like that who seemed to be enjoying themselves as they played. There were five men and between them they played guitars, an accordion, a tin flute, a banjo, a goatskin drum, and of course all of them sang. There were about 30 people from Weaverville there. We went to Sambo’s for coffee and a sundae afterwards. Got home after midnight. Bob babysat.
I showed Jeffrey how to saw a board. I helped hold the board while he sawed. The expression on his face when the piece dropped off was really something! He was so pleased at the result after all his hard work.
Took the children to Dick and Kay’s beautiful new house for Michael’s birthday. It was rather chaotic—two years old is pretty young for a party. Scot Lindsey and Clarke managed to dump their grape juice all over everything. All but one were runny nosed. Jeffrey complained of an earache so we left first. Another night of being up a lot because he had so much pain in his ears. Had started him on antibiotics that afternoon. All three were not well.
Bob got back that evening, having been to Bakersfield and then Garberville. An employee and her husband had been killed in a car accident. She was their chief operator in Garberville. Then I started feeling sick. Bob went to Garberville again a couple of days later and by then I felt well enough to take the kids to the park. We needed sweaters though. Took a kite and flew it on the school grounds.
“I really feel like I’ve had it with child care for the last two weeks.” All the sickness and crankiness. And of course hadn’t been well myself. But I mentioned that tulips were in bloom and forsythia and daffodils.
“Rebecca was looking up words in the dictionary and asking me t spell them tonight. She wrote them all down (many new to me) to take to school.”
On March 22nd I wrote that “the children are all healthy again!” That Sunday Bob got up early and went out to do road work at the ranch. I went out with the children and took lunch. It was cold and foggy in the morning but then cleared off and was beautiful. I got a lot done there, the kids played, the plum and peach trees were in bloom. The frogs croaked just before we left. We ate dinner at Big Bar.
Monday Bob went to Garberville again so I had to get Christi Forero to babysit whileI went to music class. During the afternoon I left Jeff and Clarke with Linda Lindsey for naps. I went out to pick up Robin at Warm Mt. School and when I got back Rebecca had just gotten home. We went to pick up the boys but since they were both still asleep Linda said to leave them so Rebecca and I went to Varney’s and then to her piano lesson. On the way the clutch went out on the VW again. I remembered what Bob had said about turning off the engine to shift so was able to get her up to Mrs. Gott’s and the car to Miller’s Garage. Lonnie gave me a ride home. I went to get Rebecca with the truck. I had some trouble with the emergency brake on the truck Monday night when I picked up Christi. Larry Forero said the headlights on the truck were out on one side.
Tuesday morning I took Jeff and Clarke to McClurg’s and drove the truck over to get gas. The VW was fixed so I left the truck there to get the headlight fixed and went in the VW to get Linda and drive out to the ranch. The sun came out and we had a pleasant hour out there before clouding over. Rain began as we left. Linda seemed to enjoy her day away from kids.